Newsroom
Customs officers at Larnaca Airport stopped a 29-year-old passenger earlier this month after discovering large quantities of tobacco and electronic cigarettes hidden in his luggage, the latest in a string of cases highlighting how often undeclared smoking products try to slip through Cyprus’ entry points.
According to the Customs Department, the man, a Russian national holding Israeli citizenship, arrived on December 18 from Russia via Armenia. During routine checks of passengers arriving from third countries, officers decided to inspect his bags.
What they found was far from “personal use.”
Inside the luggage were more than seven kilos of hookah tobacco, along with 67 electronic cigarettes, both flavored and unflavored, and 630 milliliters of refill liquid for vaping devices.
Customs officials seized the products immediately.
The case did not go to court. Instead, the passenger accepted an out-of-court settlement, paying €2,000. His hookah tobacco was returned only after he paid an additional €1,567 in duties, taxes, and penalties for failing to declare it.
The electronic cigarettes, however, were not so lucky. Customs said they were confiscated and will be destroyed after laboratory testing confirms their contents.
Another bust a day earlier, this time at Agios Dometios
Just a day before the airport seizure, customs officers stopped a vehicle at the Agios Dometios crossing point for inspection. The driver, also an Israeli national, was found carrying large quantities of tobacco products that raised immediate red flags.
The cigarettes did not carry health warnings in Greek or Turkish, lacked security markings, and had no traceability codes, clear signs they were untaxed and illegally imported.
Officers seized 12 cartons of cigarettes, 200 cigarettes per carton, along with two kilos of rolling tobacco, which had been carefully hidden inside gift-style packaging.
The man was arrested for offenses committed in the act but was later released after also accepting an out-of-court settlement.
Customs warning: Declare it, or pay for it
Customs authorities are once again reminding travelers that bringing tobacco products into Cyprus without declaring them can be costly, even if the items are eventually returned.
Between airport luggage and border crossings, officers say undeclared tobacco remains one of the most common violations they encounter, and inspections are not easing up anytime soon.
